I am indeed starting on a journey. This journey is different than any I ’ ve taken before. My journey is about developing an acceptance, love and appreciation for my body through hard work that is not attached to appearance. This is different than your typical “ eat well and exercise ” regimen. While the work is physical, it's much more than that. It ’ s mental and emotional, and I ’ m finally ready to tackle it! In my last post I talked about how much I was equating my self-worth with my appearance and was beginni...

When it comes to FOOD, what is your struggle? Are you an emotional eater? Do you hate vegetables? Is portion control an issue? etc... What are you doing to overcome those struggles? The 2016 Fall Challenge HOT TOPICS are open to EVERYONE. Please share your thoughts and wisdom. You can answer the question directly or reply to someone else's comment. The purpose of the Hot Topic is to start a discussion about how to incorporate health and fitness into our lives, so if you have a question that you...

Can you honestly say that you love your body? Why or why not? What can you do NOW to improve your perception? The 2016 Fall Challenge HOT TOPICS are open to EVERYONE. Please share your thoughts and wisdom. You can answer the question directly or reply to someone else's comment. The purpose of the Hot Topic is to start a discussion about how to incorporate health and fitness into our lives, so if you have a question that you'd like us to ask, please let us know. Feel free to comment whether you're compe...

Everyday is a fight to recognize my own worth aside from how I look. I can't tell you exactly what has caused me to feel this way, though I have my suspicions . I remember being very young, like 7 or 8 yrs. old, when I first started worrying about how others saw me physically. Did they think I was cute enough? Was I strong enough to hang out with the boys? Were my clothes "cool" enough that the girls would want to be my friend? I remember wondering if I should "diet" in order to look more like the other 3rd a...

Far too often in the course of my life, I have passed on opportunities and/or experiences that would have brought me joy and happy memories because I was uncomfortable with how I looked. I often felt the pressure that I HAD to look a certain way in order to be accepted by those around me or to be taken seriously by those who participate in our challenges. It was an overwhelming feeling and frequently lead me down a depressing road of self-loathing and self-sabotage and was absolutely counterproductive to a happy, fulfilling life. &n...